Story by Ruby Foudy
Staff Writer
Photo by Mac Shropshire
Staff Photographer
On Tuesday, Nov. 12, girls’ volleyball beat the High Tech Mesa Thunder 3-0 in the Division IV State Championship playoffs round one.
A kill from senior outside hitter Ava Conti started off the first set on a high note. The Thunder entered with spirit, but their cheers could not compensate for their weak defense, giving the Tigers an early 7-2 lead less than five minutes in. Most of South Pasadena’s points were gained from tips. A set from Conti to junior outside hitter Senya Dorny landed the score at 12-4 in the Tigers’ favor. Similar plays between Conti and Dorny helped the Tigers gain points swiftly and without much interference from the Thunder. The score was eventually brought to 24-7, the set point going to South Pasadena on account of an out-of-bounds hit from High Tech Mesa.
The second set began with a netted serve from High Tech Mesa, earning South Pasadena the first point. Like the first set, the Tigers seemed to have a clear lead, 8-3, but the Thunder slowly began to catch up. Their offense was working overtime to counteract their poor defense and it began to pay off. The teams eventually tied 13-13. The tie seemed to serve as a wake-up call for South Pasadena, as four aces were executed by sophomore setter Evan Taylor, raising the score to 18-13. The Tigers continued gaining points, as did the Thunder. The score reached 24-22, a stark difference between the Thunder’s score in the previous set, 7 against 24. A block from senior middle blocker Kayla Boozer gave the set to the Tigers once again.
A tip from Conti gave the Tigers the first point of the third set. Although the Tigers and Thunder tied 4-4 early on, South Pasadena slowly gained the lead. The majority of the points won by the Tigers in the third and final set were on account of High Tech Mesa’s mistakes, like faulty serves or hits. The Thunder understood their unfavorable position, taking three timeouts in the third set alone to restrategize. Despite High Tech Mesa’s best attempts, South Pasadena still remained in a comfortable lead, a steady four to five points ahead. With a tip from Dorny, the score reached 24-19. A kill from Taylor ended the last set at 25-19, winning the game for the Tigers.
On Thursday, Nov. 14, South Pasadena beat Chatsworth High School 3-1 at home, advancing to the Regional Semi Final game, which will be held on Saturday Nov. 16 against Crossroads at 6 p.m.
